Gene Editing Supplement

Yunnan Agricultural University researchers and partners elucidated how rice plants control the production of anthocyanins, the purple and red pigments that offer nutritional benefits. Their study, published in Plant Science, was focused on a group of proteins known as R2R3-MYB transcription factors (TFs) and identified the OsMYB1 gene as the key player in this process.

Gene Editing Helps Identify Genetic Module Regulating Soybean Seed Traits

Soybeans are a vital global crop used in everything from human food to industrial products. Improving soybean yield is crucial for global food security, but the genetic mechanisms that control key seed traits are still not fully understood.

Scientists Use CRISPR to Identify Gene Linked to Waterlogging Resilience in Alfalfa

A team of researchers from the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, University of Alberta, and London Research and Development Centre has discovered that the MsWOX13-2 gene in alfalfa acts as a negative regulator of the plant's ability to withstand waterlogging. The findings, published in The Plant Journal, provide valuable insight into how flooding caused by climate change could be managed through future breeding efforts in this key forage crop.

Gene Editing and Metabolic Profiling Elucidate Stomatal Development in Maize

Stomatal development in maize is governed by a family of secreted peptides, including ZmSTOMAGEN1/2. To understand their specific roles, scientists from Guangxi University and partners developed a double knockout mutant using CRISPR-Cas9. The mutant plants showed severe defects in stomatal formation, including the complete loss of stomata in some locations and the development of abnormal, misshapen stomatal complexes. These issues stemmed from a failure in key cellular processes like asymmetric divisions and were linked to reduced expression of genes that are vital for stomatal initiation.

Research and Tools

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